Top 6 Salmon Fishing Techniques

If you happen to be near the Great Lakes, you might want to know about a strategy often implemented there -- the use of planer boards. Planer boards are either made of wood, plastic or foam and don't do well in heavy currents. The nice t­hing about planer boards is that they allow multiple lines to be used on one boat at the same time. If you space your lines out from the sides of your boat, the angles created by your planer boards will help you to cover a larger area of water when trolling. Trolling is a boating technique used in lakes, which is covered in greater depth a little later.

When fishing with planer boards, you must first decide where your rods attach to the boat. Make sure you use a planer board that corresponds to the side of the boat that your rod will be hanging from. This will create varying angles, which will prevent your lines from tangling in the water. Next, you want to attach your planer boards to your fishing lines. A planer board uses a release clip that operates as a pulley system to adjust the angle of your fishing line. When using a planer board, you'll also want to make sure you have a weight on the line to keep the lure at the desired depth. You'll then attach each of your rods to the sides of the boat in a manner that sprawls the lines across the water [Source: In-Fisherman].

Up Next

Once you've got your line rigged and you've begun trolling, pay attention to your planer board to see when a fish has bitten your lure. When you notice your planer board bobbing or falling behind, you can assume a fish has found your bait. At this time, stop the boat's forward motion and begin reeling in. Once you reel in the planer board, detach it and the weight from the line. After all the accoutrements have been removed, you're golden!

Get your waders ready, and read on to learn about fly fishing.­

Super Salmon

The recorded weight for the world's largest salmon catch is 97.4 pounds (44.2 kg). It was caught by Les Anderson in Alaska in 1985 [Source: Tower Rock Lodge].